Dark Horse
by letirreis
Summary: AU. When a stranger comes to a small town, how can she affect a certain group of friends that lives there? What secrets can this town hold? Jemily, as always.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Yes, here I am with another one, and I still have Scars of the Past to write. Well, I'm a little bit anxious, what can I do? *sigh***

 **I will alternate between the two of them so I can keep them updated ;)**

 **Complete AU, Jemily as always and no, this is not named after the Katy Perry song. In fact, I've just realized that she has a song with this very same name. What can I do? I think this title fits to this story :D**

 **Nope, I own nothing but my imagination. R &R**

 **One**

She drank the last remnants of the water and threw the bottle out the window into the hot summer day. Looking at her right, on the passenger seat of her old car, she realized that she ran out of water – and food. She sighed. That would be a problem, since it was 94°F according to the weather station, and at 1PM she was starving.

She looked out the window and furrowed her brow as the sun hit her blue eyes. On both sides of the road there was only grass and miles and miles of flat land. She thought she could see water at some point to her left, but it could be only the sun reflecting on the surface and fooling her eyes.

A sign on the side of the road said there was a restaurant a few miles away. She decided she would make a stop there and rest a little bit. She had been driving for the past two days and her back was already hurting.

A few minutes later, she saw the restaurant – which soon she realized it was more like a bar/cafeteria – and parked, getting out of her car to the burning heat of the day. She locked her car and then took a look around. The place was very… unique, if that was the best word to describe it. It had an illuminated sign – which she found highly annoying under the sun, to be honest - that was blinking the words 'The Oracle of Food'. She chuckled to herself. What kind of name was this?

As soon as she entered the place, the few people that were inside stopped their conversation and turned to look at her. There was an awkward silence, in which only the fans could be heard, until finally they resumed their conversations again, and then she heard someone say:

"Oh my God, a foreigner! That is so exciting!"

Feeling like an intruder disturbing the peacefulness of this place, she walked towards a table and sat down, taking a look at the menu. Soon, she saw an eccentric bubbly blonde walk towards her and she wondered if she was the owner of this place.

"Well, hello there. Welcome to The Oracle of Food, I'm at your services my humble client. How may I help you?"

She tried really hard not to laugh at this and answered.

"I'd like… uhm… a double cheese burger and fries. And chocolate milk shake. With mint, please"

"All noted down, anything else?" the blonde – Penelope Garcia, as the nametag said – asked.

"Just some water for now, please"

Garcia then went and got her the water and then walked back to the counter, where she resumed her conversation with other three people. She looked at them for a moment. There were two men and a woman sitting at the balcony, talking excitedly with the weird waitress. One of the men was tall and dark, with strong arms and a uniform and a gun on his hip. She couldn't read his name, so she didn't know if he was the sheriff or just some regular cop. The other one was a skinny man with a messy hair, and she thought he was fairly young compared to the rest of them.

Then, her eyes lingered on the woman. She had dark hair around her shoulders and a tanned skin. She was wearing a cowboy boot and a pair of jeans, along with a plaid shirt with her sleeves folded up above her elbows. She was beautiful.

Trying not to stare too much, she looked away, outside the window and pretended to be lost in her thoughts, but she could hear them talking. They didn't really know how to be discreet.

"You gotta know who she is mama, it isn't often that we have such good goods around here. Not that you aren't beautiful, Em, but you are… well, you" she heard a male voice say, and immediately she heard the sound of a slap.

"Oh, you are way better than this, Derek Morgan! You can't call people 'goods' that is so not cool! I'm so disappointed right now…" she heard the voice of the waitress reply and she smiled to herself. This woman was weird, but she liked her.

Then, the waitress continued.

"And you are gorgeous, Em, Derek here just has his macho ego wounded because you are way tougher than him and you never fell for his charm" she finished.

She heard laughter and assumed it was from the woman – Em.

"Oh yeah, I'm way tougher than you, Morgan. And those aren't my words!" she said mockingly. Then, Morgan replied:

"You do know that I'm the sheriff, right? I could get you arrested for contempt." He said, but she could realize even from her seat that he wasn't serious.

"This is not contempt, hot stuff; this is a dearly friend telling you some well-deserved truths." Garcia replied.

"Ouch, this way you wound me, mama" it was all he said.

Still looking out the window, she closed her eyes and smiled. She could tell that they were good friends and she was somewhat jealous of that. She couldn't remember the last time she spoke with a friend in such relaxed way…

Then, the voice of the waitress filled her ears again.

"But she is gorgeous, indeed. Her eyes were like, the bluest blue of all oceans; bluer than the sky itself. But, she ordered fries AND milk shake, who the hell eats that?" she asked, earning more laughter from them.

"Well, fries: good. Milk shake: good. What is wrong about that?" Morgan asked.

"Even if we gave you some rocks you would still eat them, so for you, there really is no problem at all" the brunette said, and there were more laughter at that.

She felt a little uncomfortable hearing they talk about her like that, but that was the thing with small towns. She sighed and then looked at the balcony when she heard the _ding_ , meaning that her order was ready. Garcia handed her the food and:

"If you want anything else, you just ask, beauty"

For some reason, she didn't feel bothered by that.

"Thank you" she said, and then started eating. God, she was starving!

Then, she heard Garcia ask again, back with her group of friends.

"Why are you so quiet, boy wonder?" and she assumed she was talking to the skinny guy.

"Well, is just… I don't think is right to talk about her like that. I mean, she's not far from us, she might hear us"

"Well, Reid, don't you know the friends we have? They can't see anything new here and they get like children in a candy store." That woman, Em, said.

"Well, maybe is because nothing new ever happens here!" she heard Garcia reply, but then she was approached by a man that was obviously drunk.

"Hey there, blondie. Daya' need something?" he asked, slurring the words together.

"I'm fine, thanks" she replied politely, but at the same time using a tone that said 'leave me alone'.

But, of course, he didn't seem fazed by that.

"Well, yaknow, a beauty thing like you… shouldn't walk alone… let alone drive like this." The guy said and she was getting more and more nervous around him.

Then, she felt another presence next to her and looked up to find the man – Derek Morgan – standing and keeping himself between her and the drunken man.

"Leave her alone, Tony"

"Sheriff, ya don't have to get all macho on me. I'm just tryin' to be a gentleman, right honey?"

She closed her eyes and said:

"Don't call me that"

The man seemed hurt by her words and quickly anger possessed him.

"Well, but ain't you a bitchy woman?"

Then, Derek grabbed him by his arm and started to walk him out of there.

"That's enough. You talk to her again and you're gonna spend another night in jail, you hear me?"

Tony, then, walked out of there cursing profanities aloud and stumbling upon the tables.

"Sorry about that, lady. You can finish your meal in peace now" Derek said and sat at the balcony again.

But she wasn't hearing him anymore. She was grabbing onto the table so hard that her knuckles were white. The smell of beer and vodka were glued in her memory and suddenly she wasn't there anymore.

 _She was washing the dishes quickly and checking the oven every few seconds, hoping that for a miracle the food would get ready. It was almost 6 pm and 6 was a bad time. Things just had to be perfectly ready by 6._

 _They wouldn't today._

 _All because she wasn't feeling okay, so she decided to lie down for only a few minutes and when she woke up, it was already 5 pm. And things were nowhere near ready, and they needed to be ready by 6._

 _Because 6 was a bad time._

 _And today, it was going to be even worse._

 _Because there was not a chance that everything would be ready by 6._

 _Because it was already 6:02._

 _And she heard the door open._

 _And she felt the smell of alcohol invade her nostrils even before she heard the steps._

 _So she just stood in the kitchen, frozen, grabbing the sink with so much force that she couldn't feel her fingers anymore. She tried to control her breathing, but to no avail._

 _Because 6 pm was always a bad time._

 _And things weren't ready today._

She shook her head and finished her milk shake in just one long sip, not even bothered by the brain freeze that happened after that. _Anything to get out of my mind_ , she thought.

She grabbed the bottle of water again and took a sip of it, focusing on the conversation between the four friends again.

"So, did Elle really leave without talking to anyone?" Garcia asked.

"Yes, she did" Em answered and sighed. "I woke up this day and just found a note saying that she was sorry."

"And now who's helping you at the farm?" Morgan asked.

"No one. It's just Reid and me now, and I am getting crazy because I don't know what to do, I can't handle things all by myself. But in this hole of a city, who am I going to find?" She asked in a frustrating tone.

"Well, sunshine, I could help you…" Garcia said, but the other woman just shook her head.

"No way, Pen. You have this place that you love to run, you can't leave here to go and help me there. Thanks for the offer, though" she answered and smiled at her.

Then, an idea struck her, while she heard their conversation. She didn't intend on staying here, somewhere in the middle of North Dakota, but she needed money. So, she grabbed her purse and walked to the balcony, counting the money to pay for the food, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

"I could work for you"

They all looked at her like she had grown five heads.

"Wh- What?" the brunette asked.

"I could work for you" she said again, as if it were the most obvious thing to say.

"Well, I…" the brunette stuttered.

"I was raised in a small town" she started. "I always helped my mother with things in the garden and at the house, and I always went with my father while he worked on the horses. I also know the basics of crops, and you could teach me anything else you need."

Now, they looked at her like she had grown six heads.

"And I am not a thief, if that's what you are all thinking. Although, a thief would never admit that, so there's no point in me saying this…" she said and Garcia laughed at her.

But the brunette still wasn't convinced, so she tried again.

"Come on, where will you find another person here to do this? This is a small town, people just don't appear out of nowhere and accept a job like this…" she said, trying not to sound desperate.

The brunette sighed.

"I'm afraid I couldn't pay you a lot, and it is hard work. I could only offer you food and a place to stay in addition to the money…" she said, thinking about it.

"That's perfectly fine. And I love hard work" she said, smiling.

The brunette looked at her friends and shrugged.

"Well, then. I do need the help. You could stay for a few days and see how it goes, and then we can talk more properly later"

"Like a probation period" she said, smirking.

"Yes, like a probation period" the woman answered.

Garcia was looking at the interaction with delight and Reid was slightly confused. But Morgan was just observing with a serious face.

"For me, it's all good" she said and smiled.

"Well… I'm sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Emily. Prentiss" she said and extended her hand.

She took it and shook it a little.

"And you can call me JJ"

She paid for the food and asked.

"Where is the bathroom?"

Emily rose quickly and said:

"I'll show you; this way we can talk a little bit more."

As soon as they both walked away, Garcia turned to Morgan and said:

"Spill it, hot stuff! What's going on in that pretty big head of yours?"

Derek shook his head and answered.

"She is right, you know? This is a small town and people just don't appear out of nowhere and accept a job like this…"

And the three of them just stayed looking at the direction of the bathroom, thinking about the interesting turn of events that had just happened.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you all for your follows, favorites and reviews! You guys rock!**

 **Here it is, chapter two, nope, not mine, etc.**

 **R &R**

 **Two**

JJ and Emily went back from the bathroom to the balcony and joined the others.

"Hey, beauty, I forgot to introduce ourselves. I am Penelope Garcia, your humble waitress, funniest company and possible future best friend." JJ laughed at this and the eccentric blonde continued. "This dark sin is Derek Morgan, the sexiest sheriff you'll ever know and boy wonder here is Spencer Reid. He is… well, you will find out"

JJ looked at Spencer and he just shrugged. He didn't understand much of the things Garcia said anyway.

"Nice to meet you, guys" JJ said and smiled politely at them.

"Hey, I hope Garcia here doesn't freak you out" Morgan said smiling, earning a gasp from Penelope.

"Why would I? I mean, I am a very friendly, very very open person. I don't freak people out. Do I?" Garcia asked anxiously.

"No, you don't, Garcia. Morgan is just being Morgan" Emily offered and put a hand comfortingly on her shoulders. "So, I'm gonna go to the farm now with JJ to show her around, but we're gonna grab her car. Can one of you drive my car up there when I call? I gotta so some shopping later"

"Don't worry, Prentiss. I'll do it." Derek said.

"Thanks. See ya guys" she replied and then walked towards the door.

"Nice to meet you, and the food was delicious!" JJ added the last part looking at Garcia, who was just beaming right now.

"I am definitely gonna give her extra fries next time" she said still smiling, and Morgan and Reid just chuckled at her.

* * *

JJ was driving and Emily was beside her, guiding her way to the farm. It wasn't too far from Garcia's restaurant, but since 'The Oracle of Food' was along the highway, she figured it was a fair distance from the town.

"And we're here" Emily said as JJ parked the car in front of a house. She could see from the outside that the house was big, but not in a mansion way. She got out of the car and looked around her. She could see some horses in front of the house and she could see that there were some crops to the right side of the building.

"It's beautiful here. Cozy" she complimented.

"Thanks." Emily said, smiling. "When I bought this place it was only an old house in an empty piece of land. I reformed it; I made the earth good for planting; I bought the horses. I made this place. And I am proud of it." She said, and then sighed. "Of course I had a lot of help. I couldn't have done all of this without Reid – he is a genius, you know? Like, a real genius. Eidetic memory, huge IQ and all. He helped me with the earth and what chemicals to use, the best seed for the ground and all of these stuffs. Derek helped me – he is still helping me – to fight the big farmers around here and Garcia was really open and helped me settle in here. Small towns are tough." She finished and seemed a little bit embarrassed for sharing too much. She didn't know why she had said all of this; it wasn't like she used to talk about her life often.

But JJ just smiled in a comforting way, not freaked out by the sudden burst of honesty.

"And you did a great job; so great that now you need help to keep things in place." JJ said, seemingly excited about this prospect. She picked up her things from the car and looked around one more time. "Don't worry, I'll just settle my things down and then I can start doing whatever you need."

Emily looked at her confused.

"What?" Then she shook her head. "No, absolutely not. You must be very tired, just relax. Not even _I_ am gonna work today. Come on, let me show you your room."

"Thank you" JJ said relieved. The last days had taken its toll on her. _The last months, actually;_ she corrected herself.

Emily led JJ inside and showed her around as they were walking.

"This is the dining room along with the kitchen. Over there is the living room and there's also one bathroom, but now we are going upstairs" Emily said as they started going up the stairs. "Over here is my office and here…" she said pointing to a door in front of the office. "is my bedroom. If you need anything you just knock."

JJ looked at her and nodded, smiling politely.

"And finally, your room…" the brunette continued, as she entered the last door of the hall and stepped to the side to let her in. JJ entered the room and immediately smiled. It was a cozy bedroom, with a double bed and a shelf full of books. There was also a big window with an armchair next to it and a wooden chest against the wall. JJ also noticed a door that was closed, but she didn't go in there.

"This is beautiful" JJ said and looked at the brunette. _Just like you._ But of course, that thought didn't slip through her mouth.

"Thank you. Oh, and that door is the bathroom, all yours"

They stared at each other for a moment, until Emily spoke again.

"I, uhm… I'm gonna call Derek so he can take me to the city. Do you want something from the market?" she asked, trying not to stare at those gorgeous eyes again.

"No, I'm fine. Whatever you eat, I eat." JJ said quickly.

"Okay then… I'll be back in a couple of hours. Suit yourself; this is also your house from now on"

JJ smiled and Emily turned to leave, but then she heard the blonde say.

"Emily…"

She turned again and looked at JJ. She was lying against the door, and Emily couldn't help but notice how her jeans fit her body perfectly and how her tank top showed the tanned skin of her chest. She averted her eyes quickly, not wanting to get caught staring.

"Yes?"

"Thank you… for letting me stay. I know that I am a complete stranger and that it takes a lot of good faith to bring a stranger into your house; I am thankful for that. And I will do my best to honor your trust."

Emily looked at her eyes, but couldn't exactly read the emotions in them.

"You are welcome. And thank you for offering your help; you have no idea how much I need it." She said, unsure.

JJ nodded and looked away, suddenly uncomfortable under the heavy atmosphere.

"I'm gonna… rest now…"

"Yes, do that. I'll be back for dinner." Emily said and walked away.

* * *

"So, how are things with your new roommie?" Derek asked as he drove Emily to get her car, which was parked in front of 'The Oracle of Food'.

"I don't know, we barely had time to talk. But she's okay, I guess…"

Derek looked at her, thinking of a way to get to the point without being too intrusive.

"But she is beautiful, though…"

"Yes, she is…" Emily answered absent minded.

"And she's also a complete stranger."

Emily sighed and ran her hands through her face.

"I know" she said and stood silent for a moment.

Derek just waited. He knew she would say something else, she was just gathering her thoughts.

"I wouldn't accept her offer under normal circumstances" Emily continued, sounding frustrated. "But I really need the extra hands. I've just started to grow safflowers, but then Elle just…" she didn't finish and stared out the window, to the caustic sun that punished the plantations. Summer was oddly hot this year and her mouth reflected the dryness of the weather.

They stood in silence for a moment, while Derek let her run over the thoughts in her head. But the conversation was far from over.

"You know why Elle left" he stated bluntly.

Emily sighed again. She did that a lot when she was stressed.

"Yeah"

She also gave one worded answers. Derek knew all of the signs by heart.

"But of course I never gave her hope, it would be wrong to play with someone like that. I just… I did everything right and still…" she was clearly bothered by the situation.

"This wasn't your fault, Emily. It wasn't hers either. It was no one's, actually. It just is what it is. But now you have the Blondie. JJ. She didn't give you her name?"

"No" Emily answered and she could feel his eyes on her. "I'm still gonna talk to her, but I can't just go and ask 'Hey, I know you told me to call you JJ, but I'd like to know your real name so I can tell my friend, the sheriff, to look it over', can I?"

Derek laughed at that, but he still wasn't convinced.

"But it's still suspicious."

"Of course it is. But everyone has their secrets; I can't really blame her…"

Derek had to agree with that.

"Yes, you're right. But she is living with you now. Keep an eye on her."

Emily nodded. "I will"

Derek finally arrived where her car was parked and turned off the engine.

"And anything you need, you just ask, okay?"

Emily looked at him and smirked. He was always all protective towards his friends.

"I know. See you, Derek" she said and then got out of his car, walking towards hers to go to the market. She had a dinner to cook.

* * *

JJ got out of the bathroom and sat on the chair by the window. She had acted on impulse offering to work in that farm and now she had to be ready for any possible outcome.

She looked out the window and saw a fence a few feet away; it separated the farm from a small forest. She would have to discover what there was beyond that.

Then, she walked out of the bedroom and started walking through the hall, covering the whole area of the floor, looking for some loose wood or something that could make some noise. Not finding anything, she moved towards the stairs and started doing the same thing. Suddenly, her right foot stepped on a spot that was loose, and the sound echoed through her ears. She noted her information on her mind and continued her task, finding three more places where the wood on the floor was noisy.

She moved her attention to the doors of the house, checking the knobs to look for noises and to see if they would give in easily, in case she needed to get away. She knew she was being a little paranoid, but better safe than sorry.

Knowing that she had done everything she could do for now, she went back to her room and opened her bag. Reaching for the hidden pocket at the bottom of the bag, she opened it and retrieved a gun from inside. She went for the nightstand and put the gun into the drawer, locking it and putting the key away. No one could know that she carried that gun with her.

The, she decided to sleep a little. She was extremely tired and the next day she would start her work around the farm; she had to be at the top of her game.

 _Because everything needs to be perfect._

As soon as the thoughts invaded her mind, she shook her head. She wasn't there anymore. She would do her job and Emily would appreciate it, truly. And it was okay for her to be nervous, she really wanted to thank her for her trust, and she would do it working hard and helping her in every way she could.

 _But you're a worthless piece of shit._

She sighed and got up, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep anytime soon. So, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, deciding to just sit there and wait for Emily.

Now, it was just a matter of patience.

And she was a very patient person.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Yeah, way too long for an update. No excuses for that. I hope there's still someone out there. Just a reminder: English is not my first language and I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine and I am sorry for them.**

 **Oh, and I own nothing, except my thoughts that keep picturing Jemily as a real thing.**

 **Three**

JJ woke up at 4 in the morning and sighed. Today she would start working on the farm. As she got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower, she smiled remembering the dinner from the night before. Emily had cooked a delicious lasagna and Spencer had joined them shortly after. She learned that he was indeed a genius, to say the least. He was the one that made the project and built the A-frame on the back of the farm, in which he lived. He was really funny, in all his awkwardness.

But during the dinner, she couldn't keep her eyes off of Emily. The brunette had a dry sense of humor that pleased her very much and she was beautiful, in her own way. She noticed that Emily kept glancing at her every few minutes, but thought that it was only out of curiosity.

As soon as she realized where her thoughts were going, she shook her head. It had been a long time since the last time she thought about a woman like this; or, at least, allowed herself to think of a woman like this.

 _This is sick. You have me now; you don't get to think about those whores._

Sighing, she got out of shower and got dressed, heading to the kitchen afterwards. Emily was already there, with breakfast ready.

"Hey, good morning. I hope I'm not late…" JJ said. She thought that she had woken up at a decent time, but now she wasn't sure.

 _You're a worthless bitch._

"No, absolutely not. I just couldn't sleep, so I decided to get up and cook something. I hope you like it." Emily answered and smiled, and JJ wondered if she was just saying that to be polite.

JJ and Emily sat down at the table and had breakfast together. Emily had cooked pancakes and it was delicious.

"So, uhm, I was thinking we could start checking on the horses, and then I will show you around, what do you think?" Emily asked.

A smile instantly crossed JJ's face. She had always loved horses, since she was a little girl. Her dad had an American Saddlebred named Alistair and she always helped taking care of him.

"Yes, that's great" JJ answered and finished her meal.

Both women got up and headed to the stable that was in front of the house, across the garden. As soon as they got there, JJ was mesmerized by the three horses. Emily had two black American Saddlebred horses and one other that she supposed it was a Mustang. It was brown and imposing and she immediately fell in love with it.

"Is it a Mustang?" she asked Emily.

"Yes, she is a Mustang. She's beautiful, isn't she?" Emily asked, seeing the smile on the younger woman's face. She could see that she loved horses just from the way she reacted when she saw them.

"Yes, she is beautiful" JJ said, but didn't move. She didn't want to scare the horses.

"She is the only female, but she is also the most hot-headed of all of them. I adopted her 18 months ago, and even with me she is wary sometimes. So don't worry if she doesn't respond to you, it's not personal, I swear" Emily said.

JJ just shook her head and smiled.

"What are their names?"

Emily took a few seconds to answer and JJ looked at her puzzled.

"Uhm… Harry, Ron and Hermione" She answered quickly.

JJ just stood looking at her, dumbfounded.

"What?" If Emily could be any redder right now, she would have. "Harry, Ron and Hermione" she answered again.

JJ then started laughing, and soon was followed by Emily.

"I don't have any excuses on my behalf" Emily said, still laughing.

JJ took a moment to breathe and then replied. "Well, you don't have to; it's awesome! Unexpected and… nerdy, but awesome"

They looked at each other for a moment and then Emily looked away. She still got distracted around her, but she had to find a way to act normal if they would work together.

Then, JJ decided to approach the horses and start working. Emily was amazed by how caring JJ was with them. She did everything right: she moved closer them, but didn't enter their personal spaces and waited until they approached her; which they did, except for Hermione. When JJ tried to touch her, she didn't fight her, but didn't respond either. She would be tough to handle, but JJ would make it, eventually.

Emily spent the next hour amazed by JJ dealing with the horses. All the time she moved slowly around them, always inside their line of sight and she talked to them often, in a relaxed voice. She knew what she was doing. Then, the brunette decided to let her work alone and went to pick up some tools.

* * *

A couple of hours later, while working on the garden trying to remove the weeds, Emily noticed that JJ's skin was already becoming red due to the sun that, even in the morning, was shining high up in the sky. She got up silently and went into the house.

JJ looked at her quizzically, but continued doing her work. A few minutes later, she heard a voice calling.

"Hey, Snowflake"

JJ looked up puzzled and saw Emily on the porch. She threw something in her direction and JJ quickly caught it in the air.

"Put it on, I don't want you to sue me for work injuries" Emily said smirking.

JJ looked at her hands and saw what Emily had thrown at her: a spray sunscreen. JJ laughed at her and got up, walking towards a tap near the porch, but on the outside.

She took off her hat – that she had put on as soon as the sun came out – and washed her hands, face and neck. Drying herself on a tower that Emily had brought with her, she started spraying the sunscreen on her arms, face and chest.

"So, you're a bad boss, then?" she asked, also smirking.

Emily tried to avert her gaze, but she kept staring at the blonde before her. She had strong arms and Emily didn't even want to start thinking about what her chest suggested.

She looked to her side, trying to dismiss her thoughts.

"How can you say that? I gave you the sunscreen, didn't I?" she feigned being hurt by her words.

JJ chuckled, but tried to regain the upper hand in the conversation.

"Didn't you just say that it was out of concern for a possible law suit?"

Emily looked at her stunning blue eyes and faltered a little bit. Not enough to drop out of the conversation easily.

"Why don't you come in and have lunch now and I'll show you how I care for your health, then?" She asked, daringly.

JJ felt her heart skip a beat, but controlled her expression perfectly.

"Well, who am I to deny food, right?" She said and walked inside the house, following Emily.

And the rest of the day went on like this: Emily trying to teach JJ everything she could and getting amazed by the skills the blonde had and both of them starting to feel more comfortable with each other, even though this was just the first day they were working together. It wouldn't take long before she was fully adapted to the routine of the farm.

* * *

A couple of days later, Emily and JJ were having dinner together again. JJ had cooked spaghetti and Emily thought that this was the most delicious macaroni she had ever eaten.

"Oh, God, tell me, who taught you to cook like this?" Emily asked, with her mouth full of food.

JJ laughed at her and rolled her eyes.

"No one has ever taught you not to talk with your mouth full?" the blonde teased, avoiding the question.

"Uhm, I could die right now, you know?"

"And who would pay me for my services?" JJ asked, trying to remain serious.

Emily laughed and finished her meal. Then, she cleaned her throat and took a sip of water, while trying to approach a subject that was bothering her. Trying to act jokingly – the only way she could think of to talk about this – she started.

"What kind of nickname is this, anyway? JJ… I can't picture you as a kid being called JJ. Maybe… well, I don't know. Something short for you name… but not JJ." Emily said and laughed a little, trying to dismiss it.

She watched as JJ took her time chewing the food, until she replied.

"My mom hated it. When she first heard one of my friends calling me that, she freaked out. Said it was a boy's nickname and she didn't want her baby girl being called like that" JJ said and chuckled, remembering the scene very well. "Of course, as soon as I realized she hated it, I adopted the nickname instantly." She finished laughing.

Emily laughed along It was an interesting story, but she noticed what JJ did there. She had offered a personal but harmless story to try to deflect from the real issue at hand. Emily herself did that very often, and if it were anybody else they would have completely fallen for that.

But Emily wasn't anybody else.

* * *

In the following day, both women got up early and got ready for one more day of work. Today, Emily would teach JJ to work on the crops.

After a quick breakfast, Emily and JJ walked towards an area next to where the cattle stood and Emily started explaining to JJ what they would do.

"I will grow dent corn here to feed the animals. First, we have to do some nitrogen enrichment of the soil." Emily said, and then added after a short pause. "But today we're gonna manure the soil" she said and looked at JJ to see her reaction; but the blonde just looked at her deadly serious.

"Where's all the shit so I can put my hands on it, then?"

When JJ heard the sound of Emily's laughter, she also smiled. That was a sound she could get used to.

* * *

"You stink" JJ heard as she walked into the house after an exhausting day of work.

JJ knew it was true. After she and Emily finished working the soil, Emily had gone back to the house saying she had to work in the office, while JJ went to the stables. She was trying to bond with the horses and she took this task very seriously. She was succeeding with Harry and Ron, but Hermione was still very wary on her presence.

The state she was in now was the proof of that.

While she was cleaning the stable she must have done something that scared the female horse, because she whinnied and kicked her in her back, which sent her to the ground, on top of some stinky pile of shit. Hence why she knew Emily's words were definitely true.

Even though at the back of her mind she knew Emily was joking with her, she couldn't help but feel extremely self-conscious.

"I… uhm… I'm sorry, I will just wash myself in the spout outside." She said and started walking away.

"No, hey, JJ" Emily called, reaching out for her. "I'm just kidding. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

JJ looked at her and saw real concern on her expression. Berating herself for creating this awkward moment, she shook her head and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm just tired and, well, stinking" she said, chuckling at her own expense.

Emily also laughed.

"Yes, you are indeed. Go take your shower."

JJ started walking towards the stairs, but heard Emily saying.

"Hey, Garcia and Morgan will drop by later to have dinner with us, if you don't mind"

JJ smiled. "It will be great".

* * *

And dinner was great, indeed. Garcia and Morgan were enjoyable and funny, and she found herself relaxed and carefree in a way that she didn't feel in a long time. Of course she noticed the way Morgan was more careful around her, but still they had a great time.

Once Emily walked them out of the house, though, JJ sighed in relief. Her back was hurting a lot and she couldn't stand being still on that chair anymore. She got up, but had to hold onto the table as a wave of pain hit her.

"JJ? Are you okay?" Emily asked, walking back to the kitchen.

JJ took a deep breath and tried to adjust her pose to something less uncomfortable. "I'm fine."

Emily eyed her up and down. "If you wanna lie to me you should do better than that." She said with a ghost of a smile on her face, but JJ could see she was serious. "Are you hurt?" The brunette asked.

JJ sighed in frustration. She didn't want to bother, but she probably would need some painkillers. "It was nothing, really. Just a small accident with the horses."

Emily noticed how she favored one side of her body and kept adjusting her back. "Can I see it?" she asked. Seeing that JJ was reluctant, she added: "Please. It looks like you're in pain and if we don't do something now, it'll be worse tomorrow. Let me take a look at it."

JJ finally gave in. "Okay, sure."

Emily approached her and JJ lifted up one side of her shirt slowly. Emily was instantly worried by what she saw. There was a deep purple on JJ's back covering her right ribs going all the way towards her chest. Emily slowly put her hand on the bruise, and JJ tried to suppress a gasp.

"I'm sorry, it's just… JJ I think your ribs are bruised, how is your breathing?"

It took a while for JJ to register what Emily had said. Her back was hurting, yes, but she was fully aware of Emily's hand on her skin. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath, wincing as she did so. "Yeah, it hurts a little when I breathe…"

Emily pressed a little on her ribs, trying to feel if something was out of place.

"Ouch." JJ said. "A little warning would be good."

"Sorry." Emily apologized. "JJ, I think we should go to the hospital to check it out…"

"No." JJ said forcefully. Hospital meant paper trail and paper trail meant… no. She couldn't.

Seeing the look Emily gave her, though, she softened a little. "It's just that I'm tired. And I really don't think they are broken or something, I probably just need some rest…" As Emily didn't seem convinced, she added. "If it's not better by tomorrow I'll tell you and we can go, I just want some sleep…"

Emily sighed.

"Fine, but I'm gonna put something on it and you'll have to take painkillers. It must be hurting as hell, and don't even try to pretend it's not." The brunette added when JJ was about to protest.

JJ shook her head lightly and smiled. "You don't give up easily, do you?"

"How do you think I managed to run a farm by myself in a town ruled by old sexist disgusting men?" Emily answered with a grin. "You should go to your room, I'll meet you there in a minute."

JJ walked up to her room and sat on her bed. She was exhausted and in pain and it was really hard being around Emily. There was something about the older woman that draw her and she found herself wanting to be in the presence of this fierce woman. But she couldn't let her in, she couldn't let anybody in. She was alone.

"Hey" Emily said after knocking, pulling JJ out of her thoughts. "Let me just spread this gel, it might help with the pain."

JJ got up and nodded. Emily went inside the bedroom and looked at her, taking in her appearance. The blonde looked worn out. "Don't worry, it will be quick. Can I…?" she asked, indicating JJ's shirt with her head.

"Sure" the blonde replied and lifted up her right arm as high as her injury allowed.

Emily gently lifted up her shirt, exposing her bruised ribs. She tried hard not to look at the blonde any more than she had to; she was only there to help. She put some gel on her own hand and slowly started to spread it on the blonde's skin.

"You'll probably need a lot of rest; you can't stress this area in any way."

"But what about the farm?" JJ asked, worried.

"Just relax. We've done enough work for now; you can take the rest of the week off."

They fell in a comfortable silence while Emily applied the gel carefully. JJ tried to control her breathing, but she was fully aware of Emily's hand on her skin and she couldn't avoid the shiver that went through her body. She was glad she had her back to Emily so the brunette couldn't see her flushing.

"It's all done. Now you take these pills and have some sleep." Emily finished.

JJ took the pills and sat on the bed.

"Good night, JJ." Emily said and started walking out of the bed.

"Good night." JJ answered.

She couldn't let her in.

"Emily…"

"Yes?" Emily stopped and looked at her.

But she was so tired.

"Thank you… you know… for everything"

Emily nodded. "It's okay, JJ."

And she was completely alone.

"You can call me Jennifer."


End file.
